Apart from the occasional murmured giberish of Torr and impatient outburst from Ferra, it was reserved and inaudible enough to hear a pin dropping in the vast and eerily void corridor. Never once taking his eyes off of the hulking beast that blocked the door, Johnny was pacing a trench through the floor in his apprehension - inaction was perhaps a greater Achilles heel of the actor than even shutting his mouth, but as her father, he knew that it was his responsibility to not do anything rash that could encourage the Kahn to take his Princess hostage (again). Back in the day, when he was younger and more reckless, when she was still his little girl and needing rescuing, the Original Earthrealmer would have just barreled in and did whatever it took to save the day, but as much as it killed him, he knew that they were beyond the time of kissing her boo-boos better after putting on the band-aids. Any parent would have said that their job was never truly done, yet for Johnny Cage, he knew deep down that his usefulness was nearing its limit when Cassie put the beat-down on Shinnok. But that hardly mattered now - Cass was his daughter, and he'd be damned if he wasn't there for her.

The same applied for Jacqui as well. That girl may not have been his daughter by any legal definition of the word, but growing up side-by-side with Cass she might as well have been, so even in all this mess Cage Sr. was not blind to her suffering, even if the loud-mouthed braggart was a few pieces of the puzzle shy of beholding the big picture. As good a girl as ever existed, Briggs had shoved whatever beef she was having with that new girl aside to be there for Cassie, which wasn't that out of the ordinary from Johnny's perspective. What did disconcert him, however, was the fact that Takeda was the subject of both girl's death-glares and girly whispers. Refreshing as it was to see that whole 'bros before hoes' mentality in action, Johnny couldn't even begin to fathom what Kenshi's son could get into that would enlist him on both women's shit-lists. Unless he was caught screwing around on Jacqui, but the kid wasn't dumb enough screw that up. Was he?

Neatly maintained nails digging into her flawless flesh so hard that it was only a matter of time before the skin broke, Jacqui peered pensively beyond the duo of guard dogs to the room behind, mind willing itself with all its might to see what was going on between Cassie and Ko'atal, trying at the same time to shut-down all of the negative scenarios trying to drown her in a sea of worry. If only Takeda was there, then he might have been able to at least say something comforting if he hadn't been able to probe into the developing outcome. If Takeda were there though, she fumed to herself as she recalled very blatantly telling him to stay away from her after they took both Hitomi and Cassie away, then we never would have meant Hitomi, and then Cassie wouldn't have been called into question. In hindsight telling him to leave her alone was all the invitation he would need to go seek the other woman out, but in this moment, she could only care so much.

Up until the moment both girls had been escorted from the room by the Kahn's express orders, Jacqui had been consumed by the nagging voice in the back of her mind to such a point that she almost felt like a zombie in her own skin, powerless to silence it as Takeda's own actions fueled it to impossible limits. No sane girlfriend wants to believe that her boyfriend would creep, more than that, the beauty wanted to believe that Takeda was better than that, but why can't I shake the feeling that their story isn't finished yet? Haunted by what that meant and torn about how to proceed, she looked up at Mr. Cage, knowing that if Cassie did need anyone he'd be there for her. Should I? If she went, there would be no going back, only forward; it might suck at first, but she was a strong girl and could handle that, but missing Cass if the blonde needed her? It was a knife that cut either way.

"Just go," apparently more observant than she had pegged him to be, Mr. Cage. shooed her on with an approving nod, "I got Cassie." And for the brief second that she thought that just maybe the actor could have a mature side, that infamous mouth opened, a roughish grin curling the corner of his lips as he gazed up at the stalwart combination of Ferra/Torr, "Don't worry about me, if Master-Blaster over there starts to monkey around I'll just have teach 'em some manners and send them back to whatever circus they came from." That was so bad, it was face-palm worthy.

Even in spite of the bad joke meant to lift her spirits - which in it's own way worked - Jacqui involuntarily flashed a trifling smile, indebted for the kind and remarkably comforting effort. Not for the first time Specialist Briggs thought to herself, Cassie really does have a great father, simultaneously realizing that the other girl would be fine even if she wasn't, that Cassie would understand, that Johnny would be enough for now. Unable to find the words to even begin to express her gratitude for understanding her dilemma, the farmer's daughter ignored the attempted humor and returned the head bob before darting off to set her own affairs in order. She'd let this go on for too long now, it had to end.

On tour with Cassie for a majority of the blonde's earlier visits to Outworld, Jacqui was familiar enough with the palace (and just the general construction principle of most dungeons being primarily underground) to find herself wandering down to the lower levels of the alcazar, nothing for company save the occasional bracketed torch that flickered a warm orange glow on the tedious vestibule. The deeper down into the packed earth that her steps took her, the worse the anger began to well in her belly, tossing and turning like the full and terrible wrath of the gods as they went to war with one another. Unbidden as the enmity bubbling up to the surface, Jacqui could see herself in her mind's eye stomping down to the dungeon were the Kunoichi was waiting in bondage for the Kahn's judgment, both Shirai Ryu leaning close as Takeda offered advice and assuaging whispers to console Hitomi before the inquisition to come.

No, the visual shifted from relatively innocent and between two good friends, two kinsmen to a pair of two writhing snakes that took the form of dark-haired humans, pale ghostly limbs lost in a vague and sweaty blur as clothes evaporated into the air like iridescent dust, that wasn't real! Shaking her head to get rid of the images born from insecurity, Jacqui reminded herself that it was just her mind playing tricks on her, that the kunoichi would be too panicked by her predicament to find time for romance. But what if it that wasn't impossible? Irritating as it was invisible, a little voice in the back of her mind urged forth the possibility that this delay in time was just what the Shirai Ryu had been angling for when she conveniently happened to let the incident with Cassie slip. What if all of this had been planed, and even the kiss itself was a staged production? The end game was obviously to get Takeda back, but why go to all of this trouble for a roundabout rekindling when it seemed as if all it would take to recapture the telepath's attention was some time and a few direct approaches? Just watching him around her, it was clear that it was only a matter of time before something happened...

"You really aren't giving him much credit, are you?" For a moment Jacqui thought that her suspicions had manifested themselves into the very air itself - stranger had been known to happen in Outworld - but the languid scintillations cast by a three-pronged lantern shifted into sight with the closing of a secret door that immediately melted back into the stone wall, the flickering radiance of light revealing a silhouette of a rather busty woman. Great, just what she needed - another pair of breasts to tempt Takeda. "Wow, even in your head you cut him down?" Jacqui had the good graces to be embarrassed for that nonverbal remark, but the woman didn't seem to notice, "I wouldn't say its the same as what your boyfriend does, but I wouldn't say it's different either. I say it comes from having a cynical immortal for a father and a natural manipulator for a mother." The way that the woman seethed at the final word, it sounded just as dirty and spiteful as when Zyanyo spoke of Scorpion. Jacqui couldn't imagine what it must have been like to have such contempt for one of your own parents.

As irrelevant as the information was at this point, the Earthrealmer was reminded of Princess Kitana by the Edenian-esque design of the sable corset that bound not only the sheer blouse and soot-colored suspenders that would have felt at home in the Victorian-era, but a modified bustier and not much else aside from a few shining silver buckles. Unable to help herself, Specialist Briggs could only wonder how the women here were able to fight in such revealing attire without worrying about constant wardrobe malfunctions. Gathering that inquiry more from the other woman's expression than her actual thoughts this time, the masked woman dusted off her miniaturized heather bustle and answered, "Magic, tape, glue, more magic, and luck. It's not an exact science, but it's pretty close. Where else do you think Hitomi learned such diversionary tactics? It certainly wasn't her parents."

Only marginally surprised to see that the woman was familiar with the captive, captive being the nicest phrase Jacqui would think of at the moment, Briggs wondered just how well the two might have known each other, "Who are you, and how do you know her?". Hitomi could have been this stranger's friend, even a pupil of sorts judging from that last comment, or for all she knew they could have been enemies, but on the off-chance that the non-human females were close, it would be best to keep it mild. It wasn't that she was afraid of the confrontation, she had just seen the Cage family at work, and that meant a number of unnecessary issues that the SF wasn't in the mood to add to her plate.

The woman shrugged nonchalantly as if she belonged in this crypt and no one had questioned her presence there before, her short messy waves shimmering like a dirty-blonde sea of sand in the dancing light of the candle she held, eyes distant as if seeing beyond the scene. Face covered by a reinforced mask that matched the rest of her time-themed attire, Jacqui couldn't quite place where in the dark, but she could have sworn that she'd seen those eyes somewhere else before, the shape and color crying someone familiar. Those eyes, where have I seen those eyes before? Grilling herself and almost certain that they belonged to someone she found attractive, Jacqui thought of everyone she had met recently, going as far back as her first visit to Outworld. Those eyes... they were so steely and dark... Outlined by heavy black rings, they would have been a dead-ringer for Erron Black.

Cocking her head back as if smiling, the woman congratulated Jacqui, "Clever girl. It takes most people longer than that to catch the family resemblance, although I don't really get why. Bandage me up a bit and throw me into some of his clothes and we could pass for the same person." The scary thing, Briggs thought to herself as she peered closer at the visible outlines of the woman, was that it was true. "Name's Emren Black. And though you didn't ask, I'll take you to see the prisoner - I have business there myself. Actually," without waiting to see if Jacqui would follow suit or not, Emren began to continue the journey down to the dungeon, long legs striding without much thought of where they were going, "I have a question or two for you, Miss Briggs. You keep trying to convince yourself that you want to believe in him, so why then are you so quick to go to that place where he's guilty?" Takeda wasn't particularly close to Emren, but she still thought of him as a good boy. "Are you just that jaded, or is it that you're afraid of really letting him get close, so you're using my sweet little sister as your alibi?" Somehow, Emren didn't sound very perturbed by that notion, merely disappointed. "Everyone's so quick to point fingers and label what they don't know or understand, but who are they to judge? Have you even asked yourself what you would think of Hitomi if Takeda wasn't in the situation? Maybe their story is more finished than you think, or maybe you're right and she is the little tramp you girls are determined her to be. Is it really fair to condemn her without knowing all the facts? Let's just say for a second that you aren't the type to play those 'what-if' games, fine, but have you even asked why Takeda dumped her in the first place?"

A/N:

Yay, so many reviews to address this chapter! Having said that, I noticed a common thread that I want to hit on separately so that I don't have to repeat myself. And I'm really sorry, I literally was not even able to get on my computer at all yesterday, so please forgive the delay!

Ok, first up is pairing Guest (and again, thank you very much for letting me know which of you is which!)! Some very excellent points all around, but I'll try to get them in order. Being the troublemaker she is, I'm fairly certain that Cassie will have a good idea on how to handle herself (the question is, can I write that moment in a satisfying manner?). OMG, right? It's a good thing that there are only so many mind-readers in MK, or else ball-busting just might become the everyday greeting and a secondary reaction to everyone. Put simply - yes, yes is/was. Now that right there is one hell of a great question right there! And I mean just generally speaking. First off, as much as I love and quote the wikia as one of my main resources, I disagree that Kotal should be labeled as bad. Looking at how he acts and reacts the only thing that didn't sit right with me is how he just quickly came to and stuck with the conclusion that Cassie and Co. were working with Mileena and then later D'Vorah. Even in the comic, where he is a tad closer to what they might define as bad, I still wouldn't say that I personally agree "bad" is a fitting word for him. To me, Kotal should also be neutral. But potato tomato. Aside from pointing out that he's so much older than her and another species (it's not so much a matter of how accepting they are, versus more how much they'd be concerned about any possible grandchildren and how that would affect Cassie), I have to say I agree with your points about Ko'atal. Damn, I want to say that I had a really good point, but I forgot it as I was typing out that part of my reply, and worse I can't recall if it was about Kotal or Erron... Damn. Well hopefully it'll come back, but in the meantime I can just say what I think about the other side of that koin. Yes, Erron is a hired gun that has past ties with the Black Dragon, and yes he did kidnap the girls (to me that's the only thorn in the whole situation that makes that relationship hard to ship), but I think the argument could be made that both Erron and Ko'atal are killers who (and I'm less sure if its canon or not for Black), have some type of military background. So in other words, I think which of the two Sonya and Johnny would be less opposed to Cassie dating is rather up in the air and would largely come down to actions, and quite possible status. Honestly, I'm really not sure who I'd give that "victory" to... As for the basic plot of the MK X comic, I have to say that I took it as Erron kidnapped the girls on his own accord, hoping to appease the Kahn after Sonya refused to co-operate, but they only found that out after they stated to work together. Maybe that was just me though.

KynthiaOlympia, as ever, my thanks! And not just for the last chapter but the one before it as well ^^

To FanFanFiction, you hit the topic I wish to discuss right on the head, so for the moment I just want to say thank you for the review, and that the girls always have each other's backs! Personally I really love the whole team now, although for me it took a bit to warm up to Jin.

I don't have a brother, or a twin, so in terms of that relationship I can only guess, but I think I've done reasonably well for a work of fiction. Yeah, I have a lot of fun with Zyanyo. I'm really pleased to see that you liked the last chapter. Ok, so maybe I'm always happy to see when my work can elicit a response from the readers, but my thanks stands guest! Well in the original summary I wrote he actually had his own blip (damn if I can remember it now), but I was barely able to have what I do with the character limit, so that was axed. The flash backs are a necessary evil, and you're not the first person to say something about them, so I've tried to cut back and alter how I do them. On the bright side of the flashbacks, I only anticipate maybe two or three more, depending on how I want to capture a certain storyline. In many ways you aren't wrong about that, but really I only know how to have so many things happening at once (which will lead into the next section).

If you want the simple, spoiler-free abridged version of why I don't put more Jacqui in the story, it's because, as much as I adore her, I doubt my abilities and tend to over-think one thing or other in my work, and in this case it's keeping Jacqui in character. I try to justify this ration by pointing out that the roughly two/three hour timing of the story limits reaction, and that in more recent chapters she's more preoccupied supporting Cassie, even if that means chewing her nails outside the door, so to speak. If you want the full version:

Jacqui. I love Jacqui (and Cassie, but that should be obvious by now), not that you'd be able to tell by the story. As a writer I tend to over-think and second guess myself at times, and unfortunately Jacqui is where that weakness of mine has chosen to display itself. So in other words, I'm so worried about how I treat her that I shove her back into the corner, thus leaving a wide margin for suffering content. That's not any kind of a way to improve my writing, I know that. Though not entirely untrue, I argue to myself that while each little blurp of hers is practice at getting more comfortable, she really doesn't need to be front and center. I say this because of timing (minus the flashbacks and some of the prison time, the first twenty chapters take place in maybe an hour and a half, possibly pushing on two hours), that there's only so much I can have the characters say, do, and think at once. Maybe it's everyone and not just me, but I find it difficult to write a cohesive sentence where person A takes many trains of thoughts at once. If you were to think about it in terms of transportation, you can't get into two or three different cars at once - you have to chose one ride, one path. Ok, so that that analogy is done, I'll return to the points I was making about how I justify being able to skimp on Jacqui. So timing makes it less of an issue, all of Cassie's drama (I'll touch more elaborately on that in a moment), and to spoil whatever mystery/assumption you may have all preconceived, Takeda is technically innocent of cheating, at least up until they get to Outworld. Should he have told Jacqui about Hitomi, yes, but so far nothing has happened between them. And speaking even more recently than the bathroom scene, Cassie's drama is so intense that even in this respite Briggs doesn't have the luxury of feeling as if she has the spare time to investigate what's up between her boyfriend and his ex. In other words, Jacqui is putting her best friend and sister before herself up until the beginning of this chapter. Ok, so that's my reasoning of why I go light on helpings of Specialist Briggs, but I think that this actually really helped to say all of this, as confusing and whatever else as it may have been.